


Right Now

by SynonymRoll648



Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: Could Be Canon? Maybe?, F/M, Hugs, I'm also bad at summaries, I'm super bad at tagging, Keefe is Sappy, Keefe is also an understanding bean, Sokeefe - Freeform, Sophie is the Most Oblivious Elf to Ever Live, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, compliments, crush confession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 10:01:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30003186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SynonymRoll648/pseuds/SynonymRoll648
Summary: “I only just found out that you were out here,” she panted. “Super sorry, Keefe. I was studying, and apparently Sandor only decided to tell me you were out here because it’s getting dark-”Keefe’s lips tilted into a cheeky grin. “Gigantor wanted you to go check up on me?”“I- yeah, pretty much, now that you point it out. He said that you were outside if I wanted to talk to you, and I rushed out here.” Sophie realized that her phrasing made her sound like one of the many Keefe-obsessed fangirls at Foxfire. Embarrassed heat made her cheeks practically glow crimson, and she rushed to revise her statement before he pounced on the chance to tease her. “I asked how long you’d been out here, and he said a couple of hours, and that’s why I rushed out here.”The urge to endlessly poke fun at her gleaming in his eyes shifted to something else. Something the Queen of Obliviousness couldn’t really put a name to, but she knew it was soft and warm and stirred up butterflies in her stomach.
Relationships: Sophie Foster & Sandor (Keeper of the Lost Cities), Sophie Foster/Keefe Sencen
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Right Now

**Author's Note:**

> I know that practically every Sokeefe shipper has done a confession scene before, but I swear this one's different from the rest. Past Me tried to write what I wanted a _canon_ Sokeefe confession to be like, and this was the result. Happy reading!

Mounds of soft, cushy pillows surrounded a slightly drowsy Sophie as she studied for the upcoming test in one of her classes. Last week she had learned the hard way that she needed to carve out time to work on her schoolwork, not setting it aside and hoping that a good opportunity would present itself. 

The pale, dim light from the slowly setting sun filtering in through her windows only accentuated how much color drained from her face at the memory of a scarlet 75% scribbled on her latest pop-quiz. She shuddered. It wouldn’t happen again any time soon. 

Tugging another thick velvet blanket on top of her and snuggling into it, she refocused on the textbook in front of her. The black print was harder to read than it should’ve been. After struggling for another minute or two, she realized that she needed to bust out the moon jars in her drawer. The cool lights trapped in a jar like fireflies would provide just the kind of light she needed. With a sigh, she slid off of her cozy princess bed and opened the nearest desk drawer. The silk fabric of her pajamas swished with the motion. 

Sophie didn’t even notice the click of her door opening, or the almost-silent goblin footsteps padding toward her as her bleary eyes and clumsy fingers sought out her moon jars. 

A meaty hand softly shook her shoulder. She jumped, and whacked her right hand on the roof of the drawer she was rummaging through. Sophie hissed in pain but shoved it down. She turned around so she was facing her faithful bodyguard, Sandor. 

His seven foot tall frame was scrunched up into a crouch, like a frog preparing itself for a leap. Large muscles underneath his gray skin bulged without being tensed. Like usual, two belts of goblin throwing stars criss-crossed over his chest and back and a sword hung at his side. 

Sandor dusted off his black military-like pants and looked at her with his keen gray eyes. “Sorry for interrupting your studies, but Mr. Sencen is outside if you would like to speak with him.” he informed her in his high-pitched voice. 

Her eyes widened with surprise. It was pretty late for a visit, but it wasn’t out-of-character for Keefe. She scrambled to shut the open drawer a few inches behind her. “How long has he been out there?” she inquired, already dashing to find normal clothes to change into. 

Sandor stood up, watching her every move in the way an overprotective parent would monitor their child. “A few hours.”

“A few _hours?”_ Sophie exclaimed. “You should’ve told me sooner! He’s probably freezing out there, and it’s getting dark out,” she fretted. 

“Precisely why I told you. Reckless sixteen year old boys shouldn’t be left alone outside at night. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.” 

Sophie nodded, only half listening. With a bundle of winter clothes in her arms, she swiftly headed for the bathroom to go change. Moments later she was fully dressed, bolting out the door and rushing down the stairs. She ignored Sandor’s faint chuckling at her urgency. 

Goosebumps erupted across Sophie’s skin as it was assaulted by the frigid outdoor air. Stars loomed far above her head, twinkling among the darkening skies above like diamonds in the rough. Just like in daylight, both her house and the animal pastures surrounding it were beautiful. Only in a different way. It seemed more… tranquil. Dreamlike. 

But one gets used to beauty after being surrounded by it for so long. Sophie wasn’t an exception. Her attention was not captured by the world around her, rather the silhouette of a familiar figure. 

The few rays from the sinking sun left would soon be gone, she knew. But for the brief amount of time that the bleak streaks of color remained, they shed enough light that Keefe’s appearance wasn’t all shadows. He leaned against the plaited bark, gazing at the millions of blossoms swishing in the chilly late-evening breezes. The talented artist’s hands were shoved into the pockets of his tailored pants. The Sencen family crest - two hands cradling a green candle - pinned his navy cape so it wouldn’t slide off his broad shoulders. 

Sophie slowed when only a few feet separated the two of them. By then his sky blue eyes were focused on her and her only, a content sort of warmth softening his gorgeous features. Like her presence was a friendly flame in the dark. 

“I only just found out that you were out here,” she panted. _“Super_ sorry, Keefe. I was studying, and apparently Sandor only decided to tell me you were out here because it’s getting dark-” 

Keefe’s lips tilted into a cheeky grin. “Gigantor wanted you to go check up on me?”

“I- yeah, pretty much, now that you point it out. He said that you were outside if I wanted to talk to you, and I rushed out here.” Sophie realized that her phrasing made her sound like one of the many Keefe-obsessed fangirls at Foxfire. Embarrassed heat made her cheeks practically glow crimson, and she rushed to revise her statement before he pounced on the chance to tease her. “I asked how long you’d been out here, and he said a couple of hours, and _that’s_ why I rushed out here.”

The urge to endlessly poke fun at her gleaming in his eyes shifted to something else. Something the Queen of Obliviousness couldn’t really put a name to, but she knew it was soft and warm and stirred up butterflies in her stomach. 

“What’s on your mind?” Sophie asked. Unspoken words were scrawled all over his expression, but she couldn’t decipher what they were. She unconsciously moved a smidge closer. Her hands reached up to tug out an eyelash, but at the last second she forced it to fidget with her scarf instead. 

The troublemaker gave her an assuring smile that meant anything but trouble. Keefe leaned down to pull her into a secure embrace, hiding his face in her shoulder. A second passed where she remained still as a statue from surprise. Then she relaxed into the circle of his arms. As Sophie breathed in his scent of faint spice and rain, he answered her question. “Nothing important, promise,” He nuzzled closer to the crook of her neck. Her heartbeat skipped into hummingbird mode. “Have I ever told you that you give really good hugs, Foster? ‘Cause you do.” 

She closed her honeycomb eyes and smiled gently at the compliment. “You too, Keefe.” 

Sophie felt the vibration of his chuckle more than she heard it. Giving her a brief squeeze, he drew away after enjoying the serene moment a little bit longer. She found herself missing his warmth immediately, even though he was right in front of her. 

Her longing was reflected in his raw expression. Something about the way that he didn’t even bother to hide it lodged her heart in her throat, her rosy cheeks blooming into an even darker shade. Comprehensible words hovered just out of reach. 

Keefe had a way of rendering people speechless, but this was far more impactful than normal. To the point where she found herself asking, _What’s happening to me?_

Keefe cleared his throat, dipping his chin. She told herself that the bright pink highlighting the tiny freckles splattered across the bridge of his nose and cheeks was mostly from the cold - and the blunter part of her added that it part of it had to do with the way she was ogling him. If she could smack that voice in her head, she would. Keefe finally looked back up from the grass. “Wanna sit with me, Foster?” 

Since speaking sounded like an alien concept, she merely nodded. Keefe nodded back, smiling slightly. Shyly, even. Strange. 

He took a few steps towards Calla’s trunk before slumping against it. He patted the spot next to him, then put his hand back in his lap. Sophie sat down where he indicated. But instead of leaning back against the bark like he probably expected her to; she curled up against _him_ , resting her head on his shoulder. 

Sophie felt him go rigid. Heat radiated through the fabric of his tunic. Even with her creamy cable-knit sweater, gray beanie, internally fuzzy black leggings, fluff-lined ebony boots and scarlet scarf; she felt cold. 

_That’s not fair!_ She mentally huffed. _He’s wearing less layers than me and he’s warmer. Not cool._

It only occurred to Sophie that she might’ve been making him uncomfortable right when the tension dissipated. The arm she was leaning on snaked around her middle, pulling her close. He shifted so he wasn’t fully on his side, but at an angle. Closer to her. His other arm wound loosely around her waist, his hand lightly caressing her back. 

What had once been swarms of butterflies flitting around her stomach transformed into a flock of pigeons beating their wings frantically. Warmth started where they made contact and spread throughout the rest of her. This feeling wasn’t foreign, but experiencing it with Keefe was. 

_Not in a bad way_ , she decided. Sophie huddled closer to him, resting the side of her head on his collarbone. Somehow she sensed his smile even though she wasn’t looking at him. Whether it was his pulse that was going haywire or hers, she wasn’t sure. Probably her. Keefe Sencen’s emotions didn’t go wack over little things. 

Unless he was just _really_ good at hiding his reactions. But she would notice that, wouldn’t she?

Sophie looked up to the seemingly endless onyx night skies, sprinkled with silver pinpricks of light big and small, bright and dim. “The skies are beautiful tonight.” she breathed. 

“Not as beautiful as-” he cut himself off. “Nevermind. Forget I said that.”

Curiosity perked her attention. “What were you going to say?”

“Nothing,” he said too quickly. 

One side of her mouth curled up slightly. She decided to voice her thoughts with plenty of sarcasm. “Mhm, _suuuure_. That doesn’t sound suspicious _at all.”_

“Yup. Perfectly normal. No reason to worry.” 

Both of them cringed at how similarly he said _No reason to worry_ like Alden, Fitz’s father. Sounding like your best friend’s dad was rarely a good way to go about anything. 

“Okay, but seriously, spill. What were you _actually_ going to say?” Sophie pressed. 

Keefe dragged out a sigh. “You’re not gonna stop asking until I tell you, right?” 

Sophie tilted her head to the side as she thought about it for a few seconds. “Pretty much.”

Another long exhale, this time through his nose. He mumbled something to himself that sounded like _All or nothing_ before saying, “I was going to say that the stars are beautiful tonight, but not as beautiful as you.” 

A heartbeat passed until the meaning of the tender words whispered into her hair sunk in. 

Everything seemed to freeze. Shock stalled any and all intelligible thoughts for that moment.

A split second later everything was back in motion. _Rapid_ motion, at that. Her jumbled thoughts excessively fueled the emotions that went to war for dominance - immense surprise, confusion, disbelief, and delight. _What? Keefe said he thinks I’m beautiful? Did I hear him right? Wait…_ Keefe thinks I’m beautiful? 

As if reading her thoughts, Keefe repeated himself - except even sweeter somehow. “I don’t think you’re beautiful, I _know_ you’re beautiful.”

“Wh-what?” Not the most clever thing she’d ever said, nor the smoothest, but the thrilling energy pulsing through her veins didn’t exactly make sophistication easy. 

The hand lightly resting on her waist came up to cup her face, gently tilting her head so that they both faced one another. Only inches separated them. 

Two adoring crescents of ice blue stared back at her. “You’re beautiful. So, so beautiful, Foster. I mean it.” His mouth curved up into a heartwarming smile. “Even when you don’t realize it. _Especially_ when you don’t realize it.” 

_You’re being super sweet, but I don’t understand what you mean._ Sophie didn’t say the words out loud, but Keefe sensed them. Whether it was through her wide eyes or through her emotions, or maybe even both, she didn’t know for sure. But she had a small hunch that it was the last possibility. 

“Foster, Foster, Foster, always so oblivious.” The smile on his face widened. Saying that only positive emotions defined his features would’ve been a lie - nervousness hid in the shadowed areas of his face. “I really, really, _really_ like you. A lot more than _‘just friends’_ ,” -Keefe put air quotes around the iconic words for friendzoning others with one hand- “do.” 

Sudden elation spilled from her heart, so strong that her breath hitched. Before, Sophie had never clearly understood why her Keefe made her heart beat as fast as a hummingbird’s wings. Now, she did. 

It was its way of saying: _That’s the one. That’s the one for me._

Out of the blue she felt an intense urge to close the little distance between the two of them. She knew instinctively that it was her heart desperately trying to take the lead after being ignored for so long. 

And Sophie wanted to. Oh, how badly she wanted to. But her logical side was repeating the same things over and over. Facts she didn’t want to hear, but were important and true nonetheless: _You’re not ready for a relationship. You have too much on your plate to nurture a healthy one anyways. This is_ too early. 

The thought of ruining what she had with Keefe was unbearable, triggering a chill of horror to sweep through her.

Keefe’s panicked voice snatched her attention. “Earth to Foster - are you okay? _Foster?”_

Reality’s details came crashing back in all at once as she emerged from her thoughts. The moonlight, accompanied by the stars, bathed everything in a washed out silver that contrasted sharply against the many shadows. The small clouds of their breath in the chilly night air. The whispers of life intertwined with the salty ocean breeze. The worry glittering in Keefe’s eyes and tensing all of his muscles; and the slightly disappointing fact that he wasn’t nearly as close to her as before. Instead of almost all of her being pressed up against him, Keefe sat a few inches away next to her, the only physical contact between them being his hands planted on her shoulders.

Relief visibly remedied the anxiety coiling inside of the boy beside her. “You just _have_ to keep me on the edge, don’t you?” A frazzled laugh blew past his lips. Then he dropped trying to joke around. “You… you really scared me there, Foster. You were... _super_ out of it. And your emotions were all whack.” 

Sophie searched for words of apology when he paused, but the right ones were just out of reach. He continued. “Are you okay? Be honest. Please.”

Once again, she struggled to put her thoughts and feelings into words. But this time Keefe patiently waited for her. Sophie realized that he almost always waited patiently for her, whenever or whatever they were doing. Gratitude and appreciation brought forth a fuzzy warmth that defrosted the fog clouding her mind. “I-” she was going to say something along the lines of _I’m fine, Keefe,_ when she realized a much better thing to say. “Thank you.” 

Keefe’s concern melted into bewilderment. “Huh? For what?”

“For being you.” Sophie scooched forward and slung her arms around his shoulders. 

Surprise transformed Keefe into a living statue, hands outstretched awkwardly. Then he came back to life. His pulse thudded loudly in her ears as he pulled her close, one hand cradling the back of her head and the other against her back. 

The two elves didn’t hold onto each other for a long time, but even so she felt her frayed state of mind knit itself back into something steadier. With the assistance of Keefe’s presence. 

Sophie decided to dive straight into explaining her thoughts while her courage lasted. Reluctantly, she loosened her grip on Keefe. He felt it, and they pulled away at the same time. She noticed that he took a little bit longer than her. It brought a sliver of a smile to her face. 

Sophie took a deep breath. “Keefe, I really, really, _really_ like you too,” She paused. Knowing what she was going to say next could possibly change everything for the worse, she averted her gaze to the ground. “but I’m not ready.” 

She was hyper-aware of the sensation of her self-assurance draining away, leaving a tidal wave of worries in its wake. 

_What if he’s sick of waiting and waiting and waiting for me? What if he gets mad at me? What if this ends like the aftermath of the awkward kiss with Dex? Where he avoids me for ages? What if we don’t go back to normal?_

_What if he hates me?_

“I’m sorry,” she croaked. Scalding tears welled up in her eyes. Pains clawed at her throat, and insistently pressed against her chest and lips in seek of escape. She squeezed her eyelids together tightly. 

_You’re stronger than this,_ she reminded herself, trying to concentrate on tangling the emotions raging inside into her inflictor-knot under her ribs. Which a lot more difficult than normal, for some reason.

Maybe because part of Sophie was paying attention to the outside world and not on the task at hand. That was the part that noticed how Keefe scooted towards her. There was a pause before he spoke gently. “Foster, can you look at me, please?”

None of the blazing emotion she anticipated was in his voice. It gave her hope that he would be wonderful and understanding as always. She opened her eyes and looked up from the ground.

Keefe had moved as close as he could without touching her. The way that he was leaned over towards Sophie told her that he wanted to, but wasn’t sure if it was a good time. “I knew that already. It’s why I didn’t want to say anything. But… you insisted, and I’ve been dying to say it. I know, it’s selfish of me, but it’s the truth.” he whispered. 

Her lips curved upwards in the slightest into a bittersweet smile. “That’s not selfish.” she assured him in a tone just as quiet as his.

They simply looked each other in the eye for a moment. Then he nodded. The corners of his mouth turned up a little as well. “If you say so, Foster.” 

Brief silence ensued once more. Sophie was the one to end it, tentatively reaching for his hand. Thankfully, he didn’t flinch away. “Keefe, I was wondering…” For some reason, her prepped stream words ran frustratingly dry. 

“Yeah?” _Take your time, I’m not going anywhere._ His body language added. 

“Can we wait until our lives have calmed down and then try dating? Well, um,” -Sophie swallowed, cursing herself for not speaking her thoughts in the correct order- “do you mind?”

Keefe laughed softly, loosely slinging his arm around her shoulder. “Of course not, Foster. I told you already - I’m in for whatever you want, whenever.”

A smile crept across her face as she leaned into his side. “Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is kinda old ngl. But I'm still proud of the majority of it.  
> Comments, kudos, and constructive criticism are appreciated! Let me know if there's anything I should add to the tags since I'm TERRIBLE at tagging lol. Have a great rest of your day/night!


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